A color image is formed from dyes having three primary colors of yellow, magenta and cyan according to a subtractive color process in a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material. In a color photographic method using a conventional p-phenylenediamine color developing agent, a .beta.-acylacetanilide compound has been employed for a long period of time as a yellow coupler. However, since the hue of a yellow dye formed from such a coupler has a reddish tint, it is difficult to obtain a yellow color of good purity. Also, because the dye has a small molecular extinction coefficient, a large amount of the coupler and silver halide are required in order to obtain the desired color density. Thus, a thickness of a layer in a photographic light-sensitive material increases and sharpness of color image formed decreases. Further, the dye tends to decompose under conditions of high temperature and high humidity, and there is a problem in preservability of the color image after development processing.
In order to solve these problems, various investigations have been made on improvements in the acyl group and the anilide group. Recently, 1-alkylcyclo-propanecarbonylacetanilide compounds as described in JP-A-4-218042 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and cyclic malondiamide compounds as described in JP-A-5-11416 has been proposed as improved acylacetanilide couplers. Although dyes formed from these couplers are improved in the hue, molecular extinction coefficient and preservability of image in comparison with conventional acylacetanilide couplers, they are still insufficient. Further, another problem in that a cost of the couplers increases due to complexity of their chemical structures is unavoidable.
On the other hand, benzisoxazolone compounds as described in British Patent 778,089 and indazolone compounds as described in British Patent 875,470 have been proposed as couplers forming azo dyes in place of the acylacetanilide couplers which form azomethine dyes. However, these couplers have not been employed in practice since yellow dyes formed from these couplers have an essential problem in that their absorption spectra shift to a longer wavelength side caused by an intramolecular hydrogen bond formed under a neutral condition.